


Come What May

by autobotscoutriella



Series: Archaeometric Dating [9]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Grief, Hope, Mild Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-16 12:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21507757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autobotscoutriella/pseuds/autobotscoutriella
Summary: In the wake of Iacon's destruction, Lancer and Greenlight think about the path they've chosen.
Relationships: Green Female Autobot | Greenlight/Orange Female Autobot | Lancer
Series: Archaeometric Dating [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1263506
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5
Collections: FandomWeekly (2019-2020) Writing Challenge on Dreamwidth





	Come What May

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the [FandomWeekly](https://fandomweekly.dreamwidth.org/272808.html) prompt "The Road Not Taken".

The brilliant patterns on the horizon could almost have been mistaken for a particularly active sunset, flickering colors painting the darkening sky a million different shades of gold and red. The cloudy haze hovering above only served to highlight the contrast, making the city of Iacon visible for a hundred miles around like some giant, expensive pre-war art installation.

Unfortunately, it was neither sunset nor art piece.

Lancer held a little tighter to Greenlight's hand, gazing sadly out at what had once been a lovely city, the heart of Cybertronian government and culture for thousands of years—and most importantly for them, the one Autobot stronghold that had never fallen.

Iacon was burning, and with it, the base where they'd spent the first few years of their friendship and budding relationship, the Academy where they’d met, the streets they’d patrolled together. Iacon was home, more than anywhere else had been since the war had begun, and now it was on fire. Every landmark, every room, every familiar view—all of them would have been destroyed by now, even the ones that had been more or less intact when they’d left.

Her girlfriend's warm frame brushed against hers, and without needing to ask, she knew that Greenlight was thinking the same thing. Lancer leaned into her, and swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat. _At least we still have each other_.

"We could've been in there." Greenlight sounded very small just then, as if she was trying to shrink into herself to get away from it all. "If they'd attacked just a few hours earlier—"

"I know." Lancer disentangled their hands carefully and wrapped an arm around Greenlight's shoulders, steadying herself as much as the smaller mech. "I know. Don't think about it—it was close, but we're okay." _Don't think about it_ was easier said than done, she knew. She had thought about it herself, when they first got the call that Iacon was under attack, and then again when they'd gotten the order to retreat back to Nova Cronum. "We'll retake the city. This is only temporary." She desperately hoped that was true—but surely Command wouldn't decide to leave Iacon entirely to the Decepticons.

Greenlight hummed noncommittally, and huddled closer to Lancer as a cold breeze swept down the road. They stood in silence for a few moments, waiting for orders to come ringing across the comm lines, but no one spoke; perhaps Command was just as stunned as they were. Iacon burned in the distance, smoky and bright and too silent.

"Do you ever—" Greenlight started, and faltered for a moment before seeming to settle on what she wanted to say. "You ever wonder what would've happened if we'd never gone to Iacon and settled in there? If we'd never...if we weren't a part of this war, just...living out our lives somewhere else?"

"I've never thought about it," Lancer admitted. She wasn't sure she wanted to, but now that Greenlight had brought it up, the implications came to mind whether she wanted them or not. "Would we even know each other? We only met because I was on patrol in the Archival sector that night. If I weren't an Autobot, I don't know if our paths ever would've crossed again after that archaeometry field trip at the Academy."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Greenlight rested her chin on Lancer's shoulder, and her EM field extended to brush against Lancer's in a wave of affection and sadness. "And I don't know if I would have made it out of there that night, without you."

"Oh, you would have survived, I know you would." Lancer allowed her own field to mingle with Greenlight's, cautiously at first and then more freely. She was still adjusting to sharing something so personal so _easily_ , but Greenlight needed the comfort—and so did she, if she was being honest. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. But...I'd never want to find out what life was like without you."

"Yeah?" Greenlight offered a small smile, one still tinged with a hint of grief. "Me neither. It's...I don't know what I'd do without you around, anymore."

"The war brought us together." Lancer pulled Greenlight closer and let their fields merge in a brief wave of reassurance. "I can't wish that we'd never met, even if it would undo the war and...all this. That's why I've never thought about what-if." She gazed out at Iacon, watching a shower of sparks flare up into the night sky like tiny stars. "We're together. No matter what comes next, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Greenlight didn't respond out loud, but she hummed quietly in the back of her chest, and her EM field radiated something that Lancer could only describe as love.

Before she could decide how to respond to that, a shadow fell over both of them, and the duo jumped to attention as Elita One's voice rang out. "We need to reach the far side of Nova Cronum before we stop for the night. You two good to carry on?"

"Yes, ma'am." Lancer spoke for both of them, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "Just...taking a moment. Moving out now."

Elita studied them both sternly for a moment before her gaze softened ever so slightly. "We'll be returning to Iacon as soon as reinforcements arrive. Stay focused—I'll need every Autobot at a hundred percent when we go back. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." This time Greenlight chimed in, almost at the exact moment Lancer responded "Copy that, ma'am."

Elita nodded, turned, and strode back toward the road, clearly expecting them to follow. They did, but on an impulse, Lancer reached out and took Greenlight's hand again.

"We'll stick together," she said softly. "Doesn't matter what would have happened, if the war wasn't on or if we hadn't met or—we can't change it. But I'm not going anywhere."

In silent confirmation, Greenlight squeezed her hand tightly.


End file.
